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When you live in the shadow of the Rockies, it's almost a sin to not take in the beauty of the Bow Valley whenever you can. So when a trail is laid out in front of you, offering a new way to see Banff National Park, you simply have to take advantage of it.

That's what I was trying to do when I recently joined my friend Jenn and her daughter Ella to cruise the Legacy Trail - a paved walking and biking route that runs along the south side of the Trans-Canada Highway from the East Gates of Banff National Park to the Bow Valley Parkway.

I had no idea that I was about to cycle into a quagmire of safety and jurisdictional issues.

Opened in July 2010 to commemorate the 125th anniversary of Banff National Park, the trail is a multi-use recreation pathway that encourages everyone from toddlers to seniors to get out and experience one of the most picturesque places on earth with their feet. And with more than 50,000 users between May and September last year, it's already getting a lot of use from both tourists and commuters.

"Canadians are finding a new, environmentally friendly way to enjoy and connect with our first national park," confirms Lori Bayne, Parks Canada promotion officer.

The problem is that the trail, envisaged as linking Canmore to Banff, officially only goes as far as the park's East Gate - it doesn't yet extend to Canmore.

That isn't stopping cyclists who regularly descend on the trailhead from the East Gate of Banff National Park. They're parking in the green space between the two directions of traffic on the Trans-Canada Highway, then sprinting across the eastbound lanes of traffic. This raises obvious security concerns: there's no safe starting point from either Canmore or the East Gate.

Parks Canada's Judy Glowinski explains that the Legacy Trail should only refer to what's within Banff National Park.

"The trail is not linked all the way to Canmore, and it's not safe to start it from there. You can take it from the town of Banff and go to the East Gate and back, or do it from Cascade Ponds, going either East or West. What's beyond the Park hasn't been completed," she says.

I wasn't aware of all this when I started the ride, so Jenn's husband Rob (our "crew") dropped us off at the Banff East Park Gates by pulling a U-turn so we didn't have to cross the treacherous Trans-Canada.

If we were doing the trail as Parks Canada recommends, this would be our halfway, turnaround point. From here, there's a gentle incline that gets the heart rate going, then the trail levels off to a relatively flat ride. We're quickly rewarded with a panorama of postcard-worthy peaks: Rundle Ridge to the south and Cascade Mountain jutting out dramatically in front of us.

While we slowpokes are overtaken every few minutes, the trail doesn't seem crowded. There are families out with Trail-a-Bikes, Chariots and even kids that look as young as four years old. There are also several fit senior citizens and speedy road racers of all ages.

Riding parallel to the Trans-Canada most of the way, we can hear the constant hum of vehicles. Fortunately for us, the heady scent of sweet clover overrides any exhaust fumes. We focus on the wildflowers, from wild roses to Indian paint brushes, that flank the trail. Our reward for a rainy spring is a spectrum of green, with velvety emerald moss and copses of trees, their new, lime-green leaves bursting out among the wild grasses.

There are no creatures to be seen, however - the solar-powered electric mats we pedalled over deter wildlife from the trail by emitting a low amperage charge.

About halfway to Banff (25 minutes for us dawdlers), we come upon the Valleyview Picnic Area. It's a sweet little rest stop with outhouses and tables to soak up the sweeping views of the valley. After our break, we churn up one steep, short hill, then it's smooth sailing into Banff.

Once in Banff, a patio lunch and spot of shopping are in order, but we quickly regret the latter as the skies close in. Departing at the same time as our crew, which now includes young Ella, we race towards Canmore in our highest gears. As the rain pelts down, there's no lollygagging or gazing wistfully at the mountain ranges on the ride home.

Soaked to the bone within minutes, Jenn's padded bike shorts fill with more water than a baby's diaper. With this extra motivation, it takes us 30 minutes from the Banff trailhead to reach the East Gate. Our crew sits through traffic in Banff and reaches the gate just 10 minutes before us.

It's been an excellent day - and would be even better if we could start from the Canmore end of the trail officially and safely.

Extending the Legacy Trail to Canmore: A quick guide to the issues

Q. Why doesn't the trail go to Canmore?

A. Having a multi-purpose trail from Canmore into Banff National Park was always the vision of the Bow Corridor Regional Mobility Partnership (BCRMP), comprised of the MD of Bighorn, town of Banff, town of Canmore, Parks Canada, Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation and Alberta Transportation.

When Canada's Economic Action Plan was announced, the design for the trail within Banff National Park was completed, allowing Parks Canada to build within their jurisdiction, once they received funding ($6.75 million).

But the BCRMP hadn't yet worked through how to extend the trail to the Canmore Visitor Information Centre; this route goes against the road right-of-way, which requires approval from Alberta Transportation.

Q. What's been done?

A. "We realized after seeing the demand when the trail opened that we needed to tie people into Canmore," says Andy Esarte, manager of engineering for the town of Canmore.

The gravel extension to Harvie Heights was completed in October 2011, but parking is very limited there, so it's not a good option for starting the trail. Developing the remaining 2.5 km to the Visitor Information Centre has taken longer and will be more expensive (estimated at $2.5 million) due to the challenges.

Q. What's next?

A. The BCRMP aims to complete the trail design to the Visitor Information Centre by the end of August and apply to Alberta Transportation for permission to develop beside the highway. If approved, different sources of funding will be sought. "The extension was estimated for 2014, but we're pursuing it even faster. Once the main issues are resolved, we can move ahead - ideally starting construction next summer," says Esarte.

Jody Robbins is a Calgary-based freelance writer.

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